The expansion of electronic commerce has resulted in an increase in the size and sophistication of online product catalogs. Typically, a vendor provides a description and set of details associated with products presented in the catalog by manually entering the product data. In certain instances involving online marketplaces hosting multiple third party vendors, the vendors provide only partial information to the marketplace. Meanwhile, in traditional brick and mortar stores, customers generally have only the information on a product's package to make a purchasing decision, and as a result, the product packages typically contain a wealth of information, as compared to the information available at an e-commerce website.
Furthermore, Government agencies may require e-commerce websites to provide more accurate and complete item data to customers. For example, in the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency and Federal Trade Commission may require the display of certain product certifications to customers on the product detail pages. These certifications, such as Energy Star, USDA Organic, and Fair Trade, are frequently indicated on the product's physical packaging by specific logos or labels.
In another example, regulators may require that e-commerce websites display nutrition information and ingredients for consumable products. Generally, nutrition information (e.g., a set of facts or ingredients) is required to be displayed on the packaging for any such items, with the nutrition facts typically being displayed in a standardized tabular format.
In addition, online customers demand for more complete product data is increasing. For example, a customer may be concerned about items that contain specific allergens in the ingredients or that adhere to certain dietary standards (e.g., a kosher diet) for which there are several certification logos. In another example, many customers are also becoming increasingly concerned about toys and baby products that contain potentially harmful chemicals, such as BPAs, phthalates, and phosphates. In yet another example, a customer may be interested in a rating associated with a video game or a DVD movie to determine whether the game or movie is suitable or age appropriate.